Google quietly unveils Android 5.1 Lollipop, shipping first on Android One devices in Indonesia

Google today announced that Android One, the company’s standard for bringing smartphones to the developing world, is coming to Indonesia later this month. This makes Indonesia the fifth country to roll out Android One, in addition to India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka.

Yet the bigger news is that these latest devices are shipping with Android 5.1 Lollipop, as first spotted by Android Police. Before today, the latest known version of Google’s mobile operating system was Android 5.0 Lollipop, which debuted in November 2014.

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Google also announced three new Android One handsets for Indonesia from Evercoss, Mito, and Nexian. They will be sold for less than 1.5 million rupiah (under $120 USD), priced specifically for the emerging market.

The specifications for these devices proudly list Android 5.1 as well:

In its blog post, Google stated the following:

Each one runs the latest version of Android (Lollipop) — the fastest, most responsive Android experience ever with up to 2x better performance than the previous version. The battery saver can help extend batteries by up to 90 minutes. Android’s new look, material design, has smooth scrolling and edge-to-edge graphics. There are also quick settings to conserve data: it takes just two quick swipes to turn off data and check data usage.

This paragraph of course also perfectly describes Android 5.0, so we’re none the wiser on what exactly Android 5.1 includes. Based on the version number, however, this of course is not a major release.

Still, an unofficial changelog posted last month by Android Pit does list a few interesting improvements:

• Silent mode added after missing on Android 5.0
• General improvements in system stability
• Improved RAM management
• Fixes for sudden app closures
• Improved battery management
• Excessive consumption of network devices when using Wi-Fi fixed
• Issues with wireless connections fixed
• Problems with Ok Google function solved
• Notifications problems solved
• Some sound problems experienced by certain devices fixed
• Other improvements and changes
• Changes in the Material Design color palette

It’s certainly odd there is no formal Android 5.1 announcement, though that may come later today. Until there is, we don’t know when to expect the update to hit other Android One phones (though some are getting it already), Nexus devices, and the wide range of Android products in general.

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We’ve contacted Google for more information about Android 5.1 and will update you if we hear back.

Update: Google declined to comment.